How Pierce compares across Indiana
Pierce is ranked on 33 lists against the 602 Indiana towns with 2,500+ residents.
More year-round than 100% of Indiana
Not better or worse, just Pierce’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Pierce out-ranks 0 of its 4 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Pierce lands in the top half on 3 of 19 lists
Each dot is Pierce’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IN, the right end is last. Areas where Pierce does best come first.
The lists Pierce does best on
Each list ranks every IN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Pierce marked.
Every IN list, and where Pierce lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
C Most affordable#1 Country Squire Lakes · 0.4 yrs #205
Cheapest rent#1 Madison · $537/mo
#159
Lowest property tax#1 Grissom AFB · $199/yr
#251
Rent easiest to afford#1 Vernon · 21.3%
Health
Healthiest#1 Carmel · 96 / 100
#466
Lowest obesity#1 Notre Dame · 25%
#375
Fewest smokers#1 Carmel · 8%
#507
Most active#1 Carmel · 15%
#396
Fewest uninsured#1 Zionsville · 4%
#328
Lowest depression#1 East Chicago · 19%
#510
Closest to a top hospital#1 East Chicago · 0.1 mi
#584 
People
Most educated#1 Notre Dame · 79.5%
#427
Youngest#1 Notre Dame · 20.3
#258
Oldest#1 Clay · 58.6
#348
Most residents 65+#1 Jamestown · 35.8%
#364
Most kids#1 Van Buren · 45.1%
#69 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Washington · 49.8%
#373
Most trails#1 Winona Lake · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#378
Most walkable#1 Bicknell · 197 / sq mi
#525 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Notre Dame · 10.4 min
#537 Climate
Snowiest#1 Michigan City · 65 in
#486
Least snow#1 Jeffersonville · 4.3 in
#106
Mildest winters#1 Tell City · 25.5°
#83
Hottest summers#1 Pigeon · 88.4°
#98
Coolest summers#1 Michigan City · 82.2°
#454
Longest growing season#1 Jeffersonville · 225 days
#181
Wettest#1 Ferdinand · 51 in
#48 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Jamestown · 39%
#602
Most new homes#1 Whitestown · 44.0 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Logan · +90.9%
#393
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Speedway · 35.1 per home
Safety
Safest#1 St. John · 2.5
The number on the right is Pierce’s spot. All of Indiana’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every IN list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.